The Day the World Stopped Turning
by MissAnnBlack
Summary: Jake is an NYC firefighter. Bella works in WTC. It's 9/11. Plane flies into the WTC and Jake has to go help but he can't find Bella
1. Prologue

**_A/N: This story is currently being revised. Thanks a ton to TheMightyRen and PTB for the help with this story. _**

**_I do not own anything in this story. SM owns Bella and Jake. The setting and events are true._**

_**Let me get this out before you read this story. 9/11 was a day that every American can remember and will remember for the rest of their days. I still remember exactly where I was and what went through my head that morning. I remember the patriotism and religiousness that follow in the aftermath. I remember the contraversies that followed. For anyone not from America, maybe this story, told from the POV of a New Yorker, can help you understand a piece of what we felt that morning.**_

_**I may live in Alabama now, and North Carolina at the time, and I may never have even been to the Pentagon or New York City, but I was born in NY state and trust me, the anger I felt, the hurt, sorrow and fear I felt were very real.**_

_**This is going to be a very very sad story. It may or may not end the way you like or expect. But lets face it life never does, does it? The whole of this short story will be told from Jake's POV. I might do some outtakes later from Bella's POV, but as of right now, I'm not sure.**_

___**I hope you enjoy, but I assure you, this will make you cry. Understand before you read that this may bring up what you felt that day. I know it has for me. I have struggled so much with writing this and planning it. I hope even with all the tears and such, you will enjoy this story.**_

Prologue

Tuesday, September 11, 2001. It was a day that would live on forever. It was the day the world literally stopped. It was, as FDR once said, "a day that would live on in infamy". It was a day for the history books.

It's funny. I never thought I would be alive to see something that would go down in history. But that day, I was. And I wish to God I hadn't.

That Tuesday started as any typical day for all of New York City. Normal people going to their normal jobs. No one would have ever anticipated what really happened that day.

It's been ten years since that fateful and tragic day, yet everyone who was old enough to remember still could tell you exactly what they were doing that morning. I know I can. I can tell you exactly how I felt that morning. I could tell you how the firehouse smelled. I could tell you exactly how the sky looked. I could tell you that I was so excited that morning for a dinner I was to have with my girlfriend that very evening. I can still hear the screaming. I can still see the blood. I can still smell the smoke and jet fuel.

I'm sure I'm not alone in this. When I think about that day, even though it's been so long, I still feel the rage and hatred build inside me. I can still feel the sorrow and sense of loss I felt that morning.

For months after the attack, there was so much patriotism. Everywhere you looked in America, there were flags hung, even on cars, flying tall and proud in the wind. "God Bless America" was written on every storefront. There was no hatred between religions. There was no politics. There was no class system. There was only patriotism. We were Americans, and that was all that mattered. It only mattered what flag you flew. For months, everywhere you turned, you saw people flying the Red, White, and Blue proudly. We knew who we were and we knew we would kick somebody's ass for what had happened to us. It didn't matter that The World Trade Center was in New York City and the Pentagon was in Washington. It had happened on American soil. Everyone felt the loss and the stab in the back.

For months, churches were packed. Everyone ran to God for answers, but once they realized answers weren't coming and the only retribution they were gonna get was the start of a very long, very drawn out war, people stopped going to church and people stopped flying the flag high and proud. People went back to their lives before the tragedy.

I still can't tell you what would compel people to do what they did aboard those planes, and I think that's what still angers me the most. It was a senseless attack and yet the man responsible still hasn't paid the price for fucking with true blood American people. I don't care if you're black, red, pale as hell, or what. Someone fucked with us and they never paid the price for killing our brothers. They ran and hid and we still have yet to find him.

As I sit here writing down what happened to me that day, I can see it as if it were happening all over again. I remember minute by minute what I saw, what I felt, what I heard. I remember moment by moment what happened. I wish I didn't. I wish I didn't because then my heart wouldn't still be hurting a decade later.

I am actually thankful Ms. Fooks made me take those typing lessons, because at this moment, I can't see what I am typing to you. I can't see because the letters on the screen have become one big blur to me. I cry for all the families who lost their loved ones that day. I cry for a country who thought it was invincible. We should have known better. If the Titanic taught us nothing, it's that nothing and no one is invincible.

So, if you are willing to read, I…well I guess I'm willing to write my point of view on what happened that day. This may be the second hardest thing I've ever done in my life. But here it goes. This is my story… …


	2. Chapter 1

**_A/N: I wanted to thank everyone who has told me their story of 9-11-01. It has really helped me write this story. All the love you have given me on this has meantt a ton. This was quite literally the hardest chapter I have ever written. It has torn me up worse than the actually event did. I searched the internet to find actual radio transmissions. The transmissions you will find in this chapter were actual transmission between Battalion 2 and Manhatton dispatch during the attack. They can be found at www(dot)fdnewyork(dot)com/transcript(dot)asp Thanks for sticking with me through this very heart wrenching story._**

_BUZZZZ!_

I heard my alarm going off. I groaned. 6:30 in the morning. I did not want to get up. I'm not a morning person. I would rather lay around in bed all day long, but I had to get up. I had to go to work. I had to get paid to be able to do what I wanted.

Tonight was going to be great. It was mine and Bella's one year anniversary and I had a great surprise for her. We were going to go to dinner tonight. Thinking of her, I rolled over and looked into her beautiful brown eyes. There was nothing I wouldn't do for this woman. She was the love of my life. I thought back to the day I met her. I remember how beautiful she looked. I remember the blue sweater she was wearing at the Yankees game. I remember watching her more than I watched the game, and that's saying a lot because I love watching the Yanks play.

I followed her out of the stadium after the game, completely ignoring my friends. I caught up to her in the parking lot and talked to her for a few hours. We instantly had a connection. We both felt it.

Her giggle brought me back to the present. I smiled at her. I loved the sound of her giggle. "Why are you staring at me?" she asked me, smiling back.

"I was just remembering when we first met. Happy Anniversary, by the way," I said rubbing my thumb along her jaw line.

She smiled and her face seemed to glow. "Happy Anniversary to you, too." She kissed my lips softly and I thought I was falling even more in love with her. She pulled back and looked at me again. "We'd better get up before we're both late for work," she said as she giggled.

I tried to grab for her ad hold her into the bed but she was expecting it. She wiggled away just in time and I grabbed the sheets instead. She laughed at me as she headed into the bathroom to wash up for the day. I laid there for another moment, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about what I was going to do that night. It was going to be huge.

I heard the water turn on and knew Bells was in the shower now. I grudgingly got out of bed and followed her into the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and face while she took her shower. Once she was done, I took mine.

"So, what are we doing tonight?" Bella asked me, raising her voice, so I could hear her over the shower.

I chuckled. "You aren't going to find out that easily. It's a surprise, woman. That means I can't tell you. That is unless you want me to punish you."

The shower curtain was pulled back slightly. "Oh, please do, Mr. Fireman, sir. Punish me!" I chuckled at her and pulled the shower curtain closed again. "Seriously, though. Should I dress nice or what?"

I shut off the water and stepped out, putting a towel around my waist. "Yea, definitely dress nice, but be sure to be ready at 7. We have reservations." I walked into my bedroom and got dressed.

We left the apartment at 7:00. We both had to be to work at 8. So we always left the house early. It is New York City. Traffic can be a bitch sometimes. We shared a cab every morning. She would get dropped off first and then I would.

I walked into the Firehouse and went to the kitchen. It was Donny's turn to cook for everyone. He was the best cook out of all of us. So when it was his turn, I would always make sure to skip breakfast on the way in. On Frank's days, I would never eat. He was the worst cook. Frank could somehow burn water.

"Morning, Donny," I said to him as I walked in. "What's on the menu today?" I looked over what he had on the stove.

"Steak, and eggs, ya mooch!" he said slapping at my hands with his spatula.

I laughed at him as I made my plate. Donny was a great guy. He was one of my best friends. He had been there the day I met Bella. He had actually been the one to encourage me to go talk to her.

I sat down at the table, setting my fire radio on the table next to me. I never went anywhere without it. Sometimes we would get calls on it from other firemen before the bell would ring. I started eating in silence as Donny finished making breakfast for a hungry Firehouse full of guys. "So," he said breaking the quiet. "What are you doing for Bella tonight? It is your anniversary tonight right?"

"Yeah, it is. I'm taking her to _Eleven Madison Avenue._ I've got a balcony reserved for us. She's going to freak."

"You don't think that's a little too fancy for her? I mean this is Bella. She's the same girl you met at a Yankees game. She's the same girl who loves working on cars in her spare time. You think she'll like that kind of restaurant?" Donny questioned me.

"You have a point but I'm going to purpose to her tonight. Everything has to be perfect. She's a queen and she should be treated like it. Just because she likes going to baseball games and working on cars with me, doesn't mean she shouldn't have the fairy tale proposal or the fairytale wedding. I mean, don't chicks dream of this stuff? She should have her dreams come true."

"Damn, Black. When did you turn into such a pussy?" I heard our captain, Rich, say as he came in the room.

I couldn't help but chuckle at his remark. He was right. Before Bella, I was just some hard-ass, who would make fun of the married guys for being pussy whipped. I would get pissed when they wouldn't go out for a beer with me after a hard day.

Since Bella, I was the guy who would make excuses not to go out. I was the guy constantly talking about my girl. Over the past year, Bella had become my world. Everything I did outside of work revolved around her. I would go out with the guys and their family and suddenly I wasn't alone. I wouldn't feel left out of conversations that revolved around the ladies in their lives. I knew how they felt. I realized in that moment, I didn't want to go back to who I was before. I never wanted to be alone again. I wanted Bella in my life forever.

We sat there for a while. All of us talking about different things. We made plans to go out to the upcoming Yankees game. They made fun of me some more about Bella. I knew it was all in fun, so it didn't bother me any. These were my best friends. These were the only guys I cared about. They were my brothers.

All of a sudden, our attention turned to the bell ringing over head. "A plane has crashed into 1 World Trade Center. A plane has crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. All units. All units."

Suddenly the firehouse was a bustle of activity. We were all rushing to get our gear on and get on the trucks. I finished getting my turn out gear on and climbed on the truck as I put my hat on. Everyone was yelling at the same time; yet we were all trying to listen to the radio.

"What the fuck? A plane crashed into the Trade Center?"

"Why would a plane crash into the World Trade Center?"

"Don't pilots know how to fly anymore?"

"He was probably drunk." Everyone shared a slight, nervous chuckle over that one.

But then we heard something on the radio that shut everyone up.

**BATTALION 1:Battalion 1 to Manhattan. **

**DISPATCHER: Battalion 1, K. **

**BATTALION 1: We have a number of floors on fire. It looked like the plane was aiming towards the building. Transmit a third alarm. We'll have the staging area at Vesey and West Street. Have the third alarm assignment go into that area, the second alarm report to the building, K. **

**DISPATCHER: 10-4. Second alarm assignment report to the World Trade Center, second alarm assignment report to 1 World Trade Center. **

**ENGINE 10: Engine 1-0 to Manhattan. **

**DISPATCHER: Engine 1-0 K. **

**ENGINE 10: It appears an airplane crashed into the World Trade Center.**

My heart was in my throat. I couldn't talk. I couldn't do anything. My eyes were wide and my mouth dropped open. Someone had deliberately flown a plane into the Trade Center? What the fuck? How could someone do that? Why would someone do that?

Jon asked what was going through my head from beside me as we rode. "Who would do such a thing?" he whispered.

No one could answer him. We fell back in silence, quietly listening to the terror from the radios.

At least they had said 1 World Trade Center. That meant the North Tower and that meant Bella was safe. She worked in 2 World Trade, the South Tower. I breathed a sigh of relief at that. But there were still thousands of people in danger.

**DISPATHCER: All units be advised this could be a terrorist attack. **

**LADDER 10: Truck ten to Manhattan. **

**DISPATCHER: Proceed. **

**LADDER 10: Truck ten to Manhattan, just so you know this is confirmed. This is confirmed.**

Terrorist attack? Oh my God! Am I really living this? No. This has got to be a nightmare. This can't really be happening. This can't seriously be a terrorist attack. This is some kind of sick and twisted joke.

It took us ten minutes to get to the Trade Center Towers. Why people in New York would just stop their car in the middle of the road to stop and stare at tragedy was beyond me.

As we got to our destination, it was unreal. We all got out of the truck and took a moment to look. It was surreal to say the least. There was dust all over the place. Papers flying in the wind like fall leaves to the ground. I looked at the ground and was disgusted to find…body parts laying there. I started to gag but held my stomach contents back.

The smell was horrible. It was like a mix of jet fuel, dry wall, and death.

_BAM!_

I turned toward the sound of gigantic air conditioning units falling and saw the most horrific site I had ever seen. People were throwing themselves out of windows above the crash. They were throwing themselves to their death. How horrible it must be to know it's either jump or wait for death to find you. I can't imagine what the people that high up are going through. I can't imagine how we are going to rescue them. Would we ever be able to?

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Captain Rich grab his radio.

**BATTALION 2: Battalion 2 Manhattan K. **

**DISPATCHER: Battalion 2, go. **

**BATTALION 2: Be advised we have jumpers K, jumpers. **

**DISPATCHER: All right, division 1 be advised, battalion 2 advised we have jumpers from the World Trade Center, K. **

It wasn't long and Dispatch was calling Captain back.

**DISPATCHER: Battalion 2, have those jumpers jumped, K.? **

**BATTALION 2: 10-4 Manhattan. **

**DISPATCHER: Battalion 2, do you have jumpers down, K.? **

**BATTALION 2: Battalion 2, 10-4 Manhattan. **

It was horrible to watch. We finally met up with the others and started to put a game plan together. We knew we had fire on the 78th floor but we had to get to the people we knew were trapped on the 106th floor. This was going to be horrible. We had to get through almost 30 floors of smoke. The steel and such that the building had been made out of was most assuredly weakened by the fire.

We had plans of the building and knew if we were going to get to these people and get them out, we had to climb the stairs. It wouldn't be fun at all but hopefully we could get to these people and save them.

As we were running up to the building to go give it our best shot, I heard another plane. It sounded so loud, like it was flying way too low. I looked up and sure enough another passenger plane was flying over head, far too low to be normal. Any other day, I wouldn't have thought anything of it, but today was different.

My heart dropped as I watched the plane make a sharp turn. It maneuvered it's nose right toward the South Tower. Within seconds it made impact. The sound hurt my ears and shook the ground. A huge red and orange fireball light up the smoke darkened sky. Pieces of the building started to fall toward the ground. Smoke from the second plane joined the smoke from the first, polluting the morning sky.

More paper flew to the ground. It all looked like a movie; like a bad Hollywood movie. Too bad this was my life.

As the smoke cleared from the building a little, I could see the outline of the plane in the 2nd Tower. I could see it was around the middle of the building. My heart dropped to my feet. My throat clutched shut. I was in shock. Did. That. Just. Hit. Bella's. floor? "BELLA!" I screamed and took off running toward the 2nd Tower.


	3. Chapter 2

I was terrified for the love of my life. I had to make sure she was alright. I didn't care about anything else in that moment. All I knew was that a plane just hit the tower Bella worked in. I knew she worked on the 62nd floor but how close had that plane been to that floor?

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I spun around and glared at my captain. I had never in my life been insubordinate to any authority figure but I was about to start. "Black, don't do this. If you go in there right now, you don't know what you're walking into. You might get hurt."

"Sir, let me go. I have to make sure Bella's alright. If that was your wife in there, you'd be running in too. You wouldn't care about anything else. You would only care that some mother fucker just flew a plane into her building. She could be dying or dead in there. The least I can do is try to get to her." I shook his arm from me and started running again.

I flew into the lobby of the building and ran to the stairwell. Of course it was full of people trying to get out. They were the smart ones. The man running up the stairs was the idiot. Frankly, I didn't care if I was being an idiot right now. My brain was focused on making sure my Bella was alright.

Every floor the was at least one person that would grab my jacket and ask me, "Is everything going to be alright?" I couldn't answer. How could I? Was I supposed to lie and tell them everything would be fine? I couldn't do that. I just looked at them for a second and told them they needed to get as far from the building as they could. I knew exactly was the dangers were at that point. I knew we were in danger every second we were in that building.

Some people on the lower levels asked me, "What happened?"

I answer this question truthfully. Better that they know sooner rather than later. "A plane was hit the building. You need to get out as quickly but as orderly as you can and get far from here."

As I got to the higher levels, you could see that people knew what had happened. Some had even possibly watched it happen. You could see the terror in their eyes; the shock, the fear, the sorrow for those they knew who were around the floors of the crash. You could see they were as confused as we all were over what had happened. Tears filled my eyes as I looked at these people. I knew exactly how they felt. I had watched the plane hitting this building. I had seen people jumping to their deaths. I saw the carnage outside. I knew that somewhere in this building was my love. I just didn't know how she was doing. Was she still alive? Was she waiting for me to find her? Would I find her?

I got to the 60th floor and saw Bella's boss. I had met him at an office party one time. I stopped him. "Mr. Woodham, where's Bella?"

"I don't know, son. Last I saw her she was on her way to the 70th floor. She needed to talk to someone up there about a client."

"Fuck," I said under my breath. That's even worse than the 62nd floor. More and more my heart dropped. Less and less were the chances of finding her alive. "Thanks, sir. Just make sure everyone stays calm and get everyone out as quickly as possible. Get everyone as far from the building as possible." He nodded and we went our separate ways. Him to safety and me… well I climbed the stairs, not knowing what awaited me.

My climb continued much the same. The same questions from the victims making their way down the stairs and me in my own little world. My own horrific, nightmarish world. Every turn in the stair well I would look at what floor I was on. I climbed and climbed.

After what seemed like a lifetime, I saw "70 Floor" on the wall outside the door to the 70th floor. Just as I was about to open the door, it opened and a group of people came rushing out. Then I heard it, the voice I thought I might never hear. "Everyone out. Come on we need to get out of here now!"

"BELLA!" I shouted over the noise. Everyone that filed out of the door seemed to be talking at once. I didn't bother to listen. I only wanted to hear one thing. Then I saw her face. It was tear stained but she seemed to be holding up well considering what was going on.

"Jake? Jake?" She pushed her way to me. "What are you doing up here? Shouldn't you be helping the others?"

"I came looking for you. What are you doing up here anyways?"

"I came up here to talk to someone. Then we heard this loud bang. Some people are saying planes have hit the towers. Jake," she paused, searching my face. "Is it true? Have planes hit the towers?"

I solemnly nodded my head. Tears started rolling down her face. I put my hand on her shoulder and started guiding her down the stairs. "Come on. We have to get out of here now. Why hadn't you left earlier? You could have been close to out already."

"I had to make sure everyone else got out. I had to make sure they were safe. I figured it's what my boyfriend would do."

Somehow I managed to chuckle. She had me there. That is so something I would do. Isn't it what I was doing now? Risking my life to make sure others were safe? I hugged her to my side as we made it down the stairs as quickly as we could.

**CAPTAIN: Black! Black, where are you?**

**BLACK: I found Bella, sir. We're on the 68****th**** floor and descending. **

**CAPTAIN: Hurry up and get your ass back down here, son.**

**BLACK: 10-4 Working on that, sir.**

I looked at Bella. I was so thankful to whatever higher power there was that I had found her. Now all I had to do was get her to safety.

I looked at the wall as we past another door. The 66th floor. That's when the day got worse. The ground literally started to shake under our feet. I looked down at the stairs under my feet. There was a roaring sound coming from above us. It almost sounded like another plane but it was so loud. It was like the plane was right on top of us. We suddenly started seeing smoke and dust coming down the stairwell toward us.

People started to panic. They started rushing down the stairs. People would fall but no one would help them up. In fact, people started using their friends as steps. It's hard to think about but I guess it was just a survival thing. I don't really know but I know it was hard to watch. I watched as an elderly person fell and was stepped on. I could hear his screams for help. Then suddenly the screams stopped.

I looked at Bella with sorrow in my heart. I had just watched her help this man, make sure he was out of the offices and into the stairwell going toward safety. Now there was no making sure he was safe. He was dead.

Bella had tears rolling down her face. "Jake, what's going on?"

"I don't know, baby," I told her just as the stairs gave out underneath us. We were free falling 66 floors. I hugged Bella to me as best I could as we fell. It was terrifying. It felt like years before we landed, but it all took moments. From the time I saw we were at the 66th floor to the point we landed took only moments.

There was so much dirt and debris in the air, it took a moment for me to even realize we had stopped falling. I wished to God I hadn't because that's when the pain set in. I tried to move but the pain was excruciating. My left arm and leg were broken from the fall. I could feel it. "BELLA!" I screamed yet again. It seemed like that's all I had said for the last hour. This time all it did was cause me to start coughing.

I looked around but it was hard to see. We were buried under steel and office supplies. How were the rescuers even going ot be able to find us? No. I shook that thought from my head. I had to stay positive, stay strong for Bella. We were going to make it through this. Both of us were. I had to believe that. I had to believe we were going to make it through this together and alive or I was going to go mad.

"Jake," I heard her whisper from somewhere near me. I tried to sit up, this time favoring my left side.

"Bella, where are you? Are you alright?"

"I don't think so, Jake." I started crawling as best and as fast as I could toward the sound of her voice.

"Bella, keep talking to me, baby. What hurts?"

"What doesn't hurt, Jake? I have a huge beam laying on top of me. My whole body hurts."

I did not like hearing that at all. This was not good. I found her and it was worse than I thought. At first I had thought she was exaggerating when she said a huge beam. She wasn't. It was a steal support beam for the building. It had to weigh at least a ton and it was laying across her midsection. This was bad. I'm no doctor or anything, I don't' even play one on TV, but this was bad. This had to have caused major internal bleeding, right?

I grabbed a hold of the beam and tried my hardest to lift it. It did no good. In fact it only made it worse. She screamed at the pain. I did too. It had really hurt my broken arm, but I had to try.

I crawled so I was laying next to her and laid my head on her shoulder. It was all I could do.

I heard her softly chuckle and raised my head to look at her. "Some anniversary, huh?" she asked.

"We're gonna make it through this, baby. I know we will. We just have to be patient. They'll find us." I wasn't sure who I was really trying to convince at that point; her or me.

I grabbed my radio. I looked at it surprised to see it wasn't too badly damaged. I pushed the button and hailed my captain.

**BLACK: Black to Captain Rothsfield. Black to Captain Rothsfield.**

**CAPTIAN: Black, are you alright?**

**BLACK: I've got some broken bones but, Cap, I think Bella might have some internal bleeding. She's trapped under a steal beam. Sir, what happened?**

**CAPTAIN: The Tower collapsed. Where are you, son?**

**BLACK: Honestly, I'm not positive. Last I know we were on the 66****th**** floor south side stairwell. **

**CAPTAIN: Alright, we'll find you, son, but, *sigh* you have to realize you have tons of debris on top of you. It might take us a while. But we will find you, do you hear me. We will find you. **

**BLACK: Thanks, Cap.**

I put the radio down and laid my head back on Bella's shoulder. We were going to be here for a while. "Jake," I heard her say. She was getting weaker by the minute. I could tell by her voice. "What were you planning or tonight?"

"It seems so stupid now, don't you think?"

"Jake, tell me what you were planning, please?" I knew what she was really asking. She wanted something, anything to take her mind of the situation.

"Well, I was going to take you to _Eleven Madison Avenue_."

She gasped. "Seriously? Jake, that's like super expensive. Why were you taking me there?"

"Because," I paused, taking a deep breath. "Because I was going to ask you to marry me."

She was silent for a while. I started worrying that she had fallen asleep but then she whispered, "I would have said yes. Just so you know."

A smile crossed my face immediately. As soon as we got out of this I would be purposing. Then the very next day we would be standing in front of a justice of the peace. If I learned anything from what happened it's that life is too short. So we would be getting married as soon as we could.

"Jake, I want you to know I love you. I haven't regretted anything while we've been together. I just wish -"

"Don't say that. Baby, you're going to live through this." I started to get choked up. Tears started to roll down my cheeks. "We're gonna make it through this together and when we get out of here we're gonna get married."

"Jake." She started coughing and couldn't stop. I rubbed my hands through her hair. Her coughing finally slowed and she tried to catch her breath. "Jake, let's face it. I'm in bad shape. I'm probably not going to make it until they find us. Jake, they may never find us. I need you to know that I love you. I always have."

"I love you, too, baby." We fell into silence for awhile. I heard Bella's breathing become shallower and shallower. I looked up at her. Her eyes were slowly closing. I brushed the hair out of her eyes. Suddenly, I realized she wasn't breathing any more. Her eyes were still open, looking at me. There was no longer any life in them. I reached a shaky hand up and closed her eyelids. Tears poured from my eyes. Sobs caught in my throat again and again.

How was I going to live without her? What was I going to do now? How was I ever going to get out of this?


	4. Chapter 3

**_A/N: I want to once again thank all of you for following me on this heart wrenching story. There's not much left to it though. I didn't want to make it too long because - Well I know how hard it is for me to write it. I can only imagine it has been just as hard for y'all to read it. I worry that if the heart break goes on too long I'll lose readers. I don't want anyone to miss out on this tale. I know some of you were not happy when Bella died. Some were even so shocked they didn't believe it had happened, but it did. Here's my reasoning for it: Fanficition is always filled with happiness and "happily ever afters". Well on 9-11, not everyone got their "happily ever afters". I thought that if I was going to stay true to what happened that day, it couldn't be all happy and glittery (not a SM vamp reference, I promise) goodness. There had to be darkness. I'll be honest, I struggled with whether or not to kill Bella, but in the end, I knew I had to be true to that day. Over 3,000 people died that day. Sure I could have kept Bella alive, but let's be honest, more than likely, she would have died. It was a miracle that anyone survived what happened. _**

**_So Bella is dead. What's going to happen to Jake? Let's find out:_**

I watched the light go out of my love's eyes. I watched the life drain from her body. It made me realize, I might not get out of this alive. I may never get out of here. I decided the only thing I could do was to let people know who I was and that I was happy being dead, because without Bella, I would be much happier dead than alive.

I reached into my pocket to grab my cell. The least I could do was leave a note on my phone for people to find. I got it out of my pocket to find it had been crushed in the fall. I threw it across the space. "Worthless piece of shit," I muttered.

I looked around, trying to find something, anything to write with. Of course there was nothing. No pens or anything. Not even a piece of paper. I guess all the paper had flown out of the windows earlier. Then I saw a small piece of metal sticking out of the wreckage. I grabbed it and started writing in the dirt next to me.

"_My name is Jacob Black. I was a firefighter with Battalion 2 out of Manhattan. That's how I want to be remembered. Don't' be sad I'm gone. I'm with my Bella. I love her and I love all my family and friends."_

I don't know when I fell asleep; hell, it was probably more like past out. It could have been afternoon, midnight; hell, it could have been the next morning, for all I knew. There was no light at all to let me know what time of day it was outside.

I don't know why I passed out. It could have been from smoke inhalation, pain from broken bones, or even just simple exhaustion. My point is that I love consciousness. All I know is that I woke up to someone yelling, "HELLO! Can anyone hear me? If you can hear me, tap loudly so we can find you."

I heard that and my heart stopped. This was it. The moment I had been waiting for. I looked at the love of my life for a moment. I wasn't really thinking about anything in particular; mainly because I couldn't gather all my thoughts into anything discernable. I was thinking about everything and nothing at the same time. It was like everything bombarded me at once. I thought about how I wished Bella was still alive. I wished she had lived to be rescued. I wished we could get married. I wished she had lived and I had died. If I tapped would anyone even hear me? Do I have the strength left in me to bang loud enough? Could I even find anything to bang with? Was I going to be rescued only to die in some hospital from smoke inhalation or something like that? At least then Bella and I would be together again! What would our children have been like? I guess I'll never know. I guess I'll never know what it is like to be married. I know I'll never find anyone like Bella. She was my one and only and I just lost her. What had I done to make God hate me so much, as to take my Bella away from me?

"If anyone can hear me, tap loudly!" I heard again. This time the yelling was closer though. I quickly gathered myself and searched for something to tap with. It didn't take me long. I found a pipe. I gripped it in my hands and tried to get to the highest point.

I found something metal in the rubble of the building to tap on. I gripped the pipe in my hand and started banging. It hurt like hell but I couldn't focus on that now. I had to get Bells and I out of here. That's the only thing I could think at that point. I had to get Bells and I out!

As I banged as hard and as loud as I could hoping the rescuers outside would find me, I looked back at my dead and murdered girlfriend. I knew that if I didn't get us out of here, I wouldn't be able to kill the assholes that had smothered the light out of my world. I knew I wouldn't be able to make them pay for what they had done. And they would pay. I would make fucking sure they paid, if it was the last thing I did.

The tears rolled down my cheeks from the pain. The pain of using broken bones to bang on the metal in hopes of being rescued from my hell. The pain of a broken heart over the loss of the most important person in my life. The pain of knowing that even though I was banging with all my strength they may not hear me. The pain of knowing I may never see the light of day again.

Then I heard it. I heard them come closer. I banged harder and started yelling. "I'm here! Help us PLEASE! Help!"

"Hello!" I heard closer than I had heard anything in I'm not sure how long. "We hear you! We're coming for you! What's your name?" I took a moment. I was choked up. They heard me and they were going to rescue us. That was the best news I had gotten since Bella said Yes. I slumped down a bit in relief.

"I'm Fireman Jacob Black. I'm here with my fiance, Bella Swan. Please get us out of here."

I heard him yell to someone else. "We found him! Cap, we found him! Jake, it's Franky. We're coming for ya, bro. How are ya doing down there?"

"Oh God am I happy to hear from you! I have at least two broken bones. When we fell, we were on the 66th floor in the stairwell. I broke my left arm and leg in the fall. Bella…" I paused for a moment looking back at her. She looked so angelic, even in death. I choked back the tears and continued. "Bella, is pinned under a steal beam down here. Frank, she…she died. I'm just not sure how long ago. Shit, I don't even know what day it is." I rubbed my forehead. It was so hard to say. I mean, it was hard enough to know she had died, but to actually say it, well it was a lot harder. It was like down in this hell, so long as I didn't have to say it, maybe I was just in some horrible nightmare. But, having said it, it was like I was having to admit it was real. This was real. Everything that had happened, was real. Planes had been flown into the towers. Bella and I had fallen. She may have said yes, but we were never going to get married. She had died. She was dead.

The tears wouldn't stop now. I couldn't stop crying. Having to face reality was hard as hell. How was I going to bury Bella?

"Fuck, Jake. I'm sorry, man. We're gonna get the both of you out though, alright? Just sit tight and we're gonna get this shit off you," I heard Frank say through the debris.

It took them hours to get a hole big enough to get us out. It was hard. The loudness of it threatened to break my ear drums, but finally I was able to see light and the faces of my FDNY brothers. I crawled over to the hole and looked up. There they were. My friends standing there, around the hole looking at me. It was the best thing I had seen in a while. Frank and Cap Rich, along with a couple EMT workers came down in to the hole to help me out. Frank and Captain Rich took a moment and went over to Bella.

The EMT's tried to start working on me but I shooed them away. This moment belonged to Bella. We all stayed silent as my brothers kneeled down to her, hats in hands, just looking at her. Saying their own goodbyes.

Captain Rich had always looked at Bella like she was his daughter. I knew this would be hard on him. He loved Bella like she was his own.

And Frank? Well, Frank had always had a thing for Bella. He had told me on numerous occasions that if I ever found that I didn't want her, to just let him know. He would be more than happy to take my place.

They sat there with their heads down and tears rolling down their faces. As I watched, the tears started rolling down my cheeks as well. My father had always said "men don't cry." Well fuck him. Days like 9-11 and seeing someone who meant so much to you, anyone would cry. The biggest, burliest man would cry on a day like this. So fuck my dad and fuck that saying. I don't give a fuck and neither does anyone else right now. Bella meant the world to us and to see her lying there, lifeless, it hurt to the deepest part of our core.

They stood up as best they could and sniffled and wiped at their eyes. They put their hats back on and looked at me. "Well, son, let's get you out of here. What do ya say?" Captain Rich asked me.

"Sir, what day is it?" I had to know. I had to know if it was still Tuesday, and if not, what day was it?

"It's Thursday, son. You've been down here for two days. We've been searching for you all around here. Fuck, we had ourselves assigned to this particular section because we knew it was where you would be."

"Well, thanks for finally finding me!" For the first time in two days, a small smile crossed my face. "Let's get the fuck out of here." They all helped to lay me down on a backboard, strap me down, and then attach the neck brace. The EMTs put an IV drip in me and laid the bag on my stomach. Then, they lifted me up. This was it. I was finally getting out.

As we broke out of the hole they had made, I looked around. All my brothers from the firehouse and other firemen, and policemen were lined up on either side of me. As I was lifted out, they all started clapping. I reached my hands out to them as best I could and I shook hands with each of them as I passed. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

They finally put me in the ambulance. I grabbed a hold of Frankie's collar and pulled him down to me. I looked straight into his eyes. "You had best make sure that Bella gets out of there right now. I don't care what you have to do. Don't make her stay in that hell hole a minute longer. As soon as I get out of the hospital, I'll make arrangements, but you make sure she gets out of there."

He grabbed my hand and lightly unclenched it from his shirt. "I will, man. I'll take care of her. Don't' worry. I'll take care of her. You worry about getting yourself fixed up."

The ride to the hospital was slow and long to me. I was happy to be out of the debris and shit I had been in, but I was finally realizing that nothing was ever going to be the same. I felt like I had nothing to live for anymore. I felt like nothing would ever make me happy.

The doctor was nice. Except for when he had to re-break my bones. In the two days I had been down there, my bones had started to heal wrong. So he had to break them again and set them correctly. It was excruciating pain. It made me pass out again and when I woke up, I was still in the hospital. This time with my leg and arm in casts. There were flowers everywhere.

I looked up at the sound of the door opening. I saw Bella's family walk in the room. Her mom had flowers in her hand. Really? Like there wasn't enough in the room already? I felt like I was in some old woman's garden.

They had tears running down their face. They must have found out I wasn't man enough to keep their daughter safe. I was a worthless, good for nothing, piece of shit. I don't even know why Bella said yes to me. Why would she want to marry someone like me? I'm a fireman who can't keep anyone safe.

"Jake," her mom, Renee, said. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit. Get out of here. None of you should be here. I didn't do anything to help your daughter. I watched her die. I couldn't do anything to stop it." I turned my head as I spoke and looked out the window.

"You listen here," I heard her dad say. "You did what you could. Your Captain is the one that told us. He told us how when you saw that second plane, you ignored what he said, and ran into that building to find her. He said how you were walking her downstairs to get out when the building collapsed. You did what you could to save her. Son, we came here to say thank you and that you did good."

My head snapped to him. Tears running down my face yet again. "Did good? Really? How can you say that when she's dead? How can you say that to me? How can you even look at me? I'm alive and she's dead. How is that good?"

"Because you did what you could, Jacob," Renee said. "You tried to save her. You did everything you could."

I just nodded just to appease her, turning my head from them again. There was no way she was right. I'm alive. Bella's dead. That's it. There had to be more that I could have done. Something I should have done that would have saved her. I knew it. Why couldn't they see that?

"There's something that's bothering me and I think you could have the answer," Bella's dad, Charlie, said. Here we go, I thought. Here's the accusations. "Your Captain said that you had radioed in after you found her that you were on floor 68. Why were you both up that high? She works on the 62nd floor."

I cleared my throat. "She had gone up to the 70th floor for something to do with work, to talk to someone, I think. I'm not sure. When I found her, she was making sure everyone else was out before going down the stairs herself. She said that it's what her boyfriend would do," I said through the tears and managed a small smile remembering Bella saying that to me. "We made it down two floors when Captain radioed me to find out my position. We went down two more before the tower collapsed."

I looked at Renee and Charlie. They had tears flowing down their cheeks. "Thank you," Renee said. "It means a lot to me to think of my daughter putting others' lives before her own. It makes her a hero."

I looked off into space, remembering my Bella. "She looked like an angel," I whispered to myself.

"What?" Charlie asked.

"I said, she looked like an angel. Through everything she looked like an angel."

They nodded. The room was silent for a moment. All of us in our own thoughts of Bella. "Would you-Would you let me know when everything is going to be? And I'd like to help with expenses. It's the least I can do."

"Son, don't you worry about anything right now but getting yourself better. We'll take care of everything and don't you worry. Bella would love for you to be there to say goodbye to her. She wouldn't have it any other way," Charlie said to me.

"There's something you might like to know. Something that happened after our fall." They both looked at me with questioning looks, silently urging me to go on. "I asked her to marry me. It was supposed to be that night at a fancy restaurant but I asked her amongst all that debris. She said yes to me. She said she would marry me."

"That's wonderful news," Renee said. "I'm so happy for you. I wish I could have - Well, I only wish it could have happened, the wedding I mean." Tears flowed from her eyes like Niagara Falls.

Charlie got up and shook my good hand. "You're still a part of this family, son. You always will be." He slapped my shoulder. I looked him in the eye and knew he was telling me the truth.

They left soon after and I was left in silence. At this point, silence was my enemy. Unfortunately though, I knew that's all I had to look forward to for a long time. I wouldn't be able to go back to work for a while and my apartment was even worse than the hospital. Going back to my apartment would be a worse hell than the debris from the towers. Bella's things would be there but she wouldn't be. She never would be again. How was I ever going to deal with that?


	5. Chapter 4

Today was the day I was going to bury the love of my life. The second worst day of my life. I don't know how I was going to make it through the day.

I looked at myself in the mirror as I fixed my tie. I groaned. Bella always did this for me. She always helped me with my tie. As I thought this the tears started to roll for the hundredth time today. She had always been there for me, it seemed. I couldn't seem to remember anything before her. I couldn't remember how I had managed to tie a tie before her. How did I sleep without her beside me? How had I made it through the quiet of living alone?

I finally got the tie knotted and got it in position. I gave myself one last look. I let out a deep breath. This would be the last time I would ever see her. Today I would say goodbye for the final time.

As I drove to the church, I couldn't help but feel that Bella was sitting in the passenger seat next to me. I could have swore I smelled lilacs, her favorite flower. The song on the radio changed and it was "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLachlin. I took in a deep breath and tried to keep the tears at bay.

She was here. My Bella was sitting next to me and this was her way of saying hi. Well, if she was going to talk in her own way, then I wasn't going to let this opportunity slip by. "Hey, Baby," I said. "I must be losing my mind. I swear you're here with me. If you are, and I'm not losing my ever loving fucking mind," I rubbed my hand over my face as I stopped at a red light. "Then, I want you to know I love you. I will always love you. I don't know how I'm going to make it without you. I really don't. These past few days have been hell. I can't sleep. I swear I smell lilacs every time I turn around. I can't bring myself to do anything with your things. How am I supposed to give away your favorite shirt. Or the dress you would wear to drive me insane with lust? How am I supposed to throw away your journal? How am I supposed to give away your bears to some little kid who won't appreciate them? How am I supposed to sell your car?"

These were the questions that had haunted me since I got out of that hell hole. Ever since I got back to the apartment 3 days ago. How was I supposed to decide what to do with her things? How was I ever going to bring myself to do anything with them? The one thing I knew for sure was that they made it seem like she was still there with me, but, if I was being honest and sane, I knew that was the worst thing. The longer her things sat there in that apartment, the worse it was going to make things for me. The harder it was going to be to move past what had happened.

I pulled into the church parking lot and got out of the car. I fixed the jacket of my suit and prepared to walk in. I leaned against the side of the car and took a deep breath. It was time.

I walked into the church. At the end of the aisle, I saw the casket. I took another deep breath and started walking forward. My steps were slow. I couldn't seem to move any faster. Maybe I didn't want to. I didn't know. I knew what I would find inside, but I still was scared to look. I got to the casket and my breath caught.

They had cleaned her up. She wasn't dusty and dirty like the last time I had seen her. Her make up was perfect. Her hair had been brushed and styled. Her dress was gorgeous. I closed my eyes, trying to hold back the tears. I leaned back, my face toward the ceiling. This can't be true. How had I not woken up from this horrible nightmare yet? This has to end at some point, right? The tears escaped and rolled toward my ears. I ignored them. I stood straight again and sniffled. I looked around at all the flowers that had arrived from people sending their condolences. The church was covered in them.

I walked up to a bouquet. I didn't care who had sent them. They meant nothing to me. Flowers didn't make my Bells come back to me. I grabbed a single rose from the bouquet and walked back to Bella. I looked at her face and then to the flower. "I know its not lilacs but I still thought that you should have something with you when you go to Heaven. Baby, I love you. Nothing, not death, not Heaven, not anything will change that I love you. No separation, no length of time will change that. I hope you understand that I will love you forever. Take care of my heart, Bells. You took it to Heaven with you when you left me."

I kissed her forehead and then her cheeks and finally her lips. Her skin was so cold. It gave me the chills. I pulled back a bit and then nestled the rose in her hands. I walked over to the pews and took a seat. For the first time noticing the photos being played on the screen. They were of Bella through out her life. Some with Charlie and some were with me. My favorites were of her by herself. She was so beautiful, laughing, smiling, posing for the camera.

**_A/N: go to www(dot)youtube(dot)com(slash)watch?v=bMkdYhu1d78 to watch the vid._**

Silent tears rolled down my face. Charlie and Renee came to sit by me as the pastor walked up behind the podium. He started talking about how life was short and September 11th we learned that. I know I did. I had planned things for that evening. I never expected that that evening, Bella would be dead. After a while he motioned for me to come up. Charlie and Renee had approached me a few days before about doing a eulogy for Bella.

I stepped up to the podium. I took a moment and looked at Bella. She looked so beautiful and peaceful lying there in her forever bed. The tears started to choke me up. I chuckled to myself for a moment, as I looked out onto my fellow mourners. I saw my fellow firemen, my brothers. I saw my dad. I saw Bella's family and friends. "Ya know, Bella would tell me to stop crying right now. She'd tell me she's in a better place." I looked back at Bella. "Well, I can't, Baby. I'm sorry." My voice dropped almost to a whisper. "I love you too much and miss you too much. I need you with me. You brought so much light into my life. I'm so scared to go on without you."

I looked back up to meet the eyes of my brothers and Bella's parents. My tears started to slow. "I spent all my life searching for that woman who would complete my life. I searched for her all over the place. Then I was blown away. I was sitting there at a Yankees game." A smile played at the edges of my lips as I remembered that day. "I looked over and my heart stopped. There was this gorgeous woman sitting there."

I chuckled. "Ya know, they say when you meet that special someone, the world stops and nothing else matters. I used to think that was a load of bullshit, but that's exactly what happened when I first looked at Bella. My world stopped. It felt like nothing else in the world mattered. Not even the Yankees game, which for me is huge." I chuckled and noticed my teary eyed fellow firemen where chuckling too, shaking their heads in agreement. "I used to care about nothing but firefighting, the Yankees, my car, and pizza. That all changed, every bit of it changed when I met Bella.

"I remember when she first showed up at the firehouse. Frankie was all over her. Hell, all the guys were. Captain Rich took her under his wing. He treated her like his own daughter. I know that meant the world to her. All of you did. Every person sitting here today meant so much to Bella. She'd be so happy to see you all here today."

I stepped down from the podium and went to say goodbye to my girl one last time. I kissed her forehead again and told her, "Bella, I love you. I always will. Have fun with the angels, Baby," and went back to my seat.

The preacher went back up to say his closing words. "There's an Irish blessing that I think we all should keep in mind today. It says, 'Death leaves a heartache no one can heal. Love leaves a memory no one can steal.' It's true. We should remember that as we say goodbye to this beautiful woman."

We all stood up to say goodbye to each other. I got in my car feeling a bit stronger. I knew that Bella was in a better place. She was a hell of a lot better off than I was. I took comfort in knowing that in Heaven there are no more tears. At least I knew my Bella was happy.

I walked into my apartment. It felt so empty without her there. She was always so full of energy. I decided that while I felt stronger, I might as well go ahead and start on packing some of her things up to take to Goodwill.

An hour later, I had a few boxes full. I picked them up to take them to the car. Once I had the car full, I went on the short trip to Goodwill. I dropped the boxes off and felt the tears silently roll down my cheeks to join the others I had already cried.

"In the arms of the angel, fly away from here. You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie. You're in the arms of the angel. May you find some comfort there. Goodbye, Baby."

**_A/N: There's only a little left to this story. I hope you enjoyed this chap. Read and Review please!_**


	6. Epilogue

_**Everything changed that day. Not just one thing. Everything. The New York City skyline changed. The way people flew changed. The way people did business changed. The way New York City emergency crews worked changed. Federal shit changed too. Everything changed. **_

_**Not just material things changed either. People's whole lives changed. Families were broken apart. Not just from death but marriages broke apart after that because of the strain of the situation they were in because of the attacks. **_

_**My life changed. From that day on, I never flew in another plane. Shit, I still freak out every time I even hear a plane overhead. I'll never forget that day. Every time I hear a plane, I am flown back in time to what they are now calling Ground Zero, and I see the second plane crash into the second tower. I see my Bella and I falling 68 stories to the ground. I see the light go out of her gorgeous brown eyes. I'll never forget.**_

_**After the funeral, it was hard but I finally was able to say goodbye to Bella. I remember standing by her fresh grave soon after. I remember the feeling of dread and fear in the pit of my stomach. I remember reading the tombstone. Her parents had put the best saying on it. It said "Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand." It brought tears to my eyes thinking about it. **_

_**Ten years after Bella died, her parents have still stayed true to their word. They still consider me a part of their family. I still go to their house for holidays. I even take my new girlfriend. **_

_**It took me five years but I was finally able to move on. I met a new girl, Rachel, at a bar one night. She looked so much like Bella it was scary. In fact, when I first met her, the only real reason why I talked to her was because she reminded me so much of Bells. **_

_**It took me a short while but I started to see differences between them. Rachel… well she doesn't like working on cars and she doesn't like the Yankees. But she's a wonderful woman. **_

_**Rachel doesn't mind that I still have pictures of Bella all around our house. She doesn't mind that on September 11 of every year, I go to Bella's grave and I sit there with her all day long and just talk. I bring her flowers every year on our anniversary. It's just hard knowing that our anniversary is the same day she died. **_

_**Rachel has put up with a lot. I guess that's one reason why I married her. We married February 15, 2007. It was a nice ceremony. I can't help but chuckle remembering all the stupid antics of my fire brothers at the reception. Word of advice: never give a firehouse full of guys too much beer on the day their brother gets married. It gets crazy. **_

_**I wrote this memorial of 9-11 so people can understand that, though the surviving victims may be able to smile today, there was a very dark time in our lives where that would never have been possible. Hell, I never thought I would ever find happiness again. But I did. **_

_**I wrote this for Bella so that people will remember her. So people who weren't a part, people who didn't have a personal connection to 9-11, can know at least one person who died that day. Then maybe they can understand those who still live on a little better.**_

_**I wrote this to those mother fuckers who took her life. May you die slowly and rot in the darkest, worst corner of hell available. **_

_**For those of you who, after 10 years, have forgotten what happened, I wrote this to you. We should never forget. We need to always remember what happened that day. We need to remember what happens to our countrymen and women when we let our guard down. **_

_**That day, almost 3,000 people died. 19 of them being hijackers. Most of the people in Bella's office made it out safely. Thanks to Bells. I couldn't help but feel pride in her for that. Her death meant people she loved got to live. **_

_**The thing that bothered me the most; well, other than Bella dying that day; was that New York City and the Trade Towers weren't the only things hit that day. The Pentagon was hit too. And some believe that the White House would have been if a group of heroes hadn't been aboard a fourth plane. That plane, United 93, was filled with heroes that day. They actually killed the hijackers and downed the plane, so that it was only their deaths those cowards caused and not any others. **_

_**Remember them. Remember all those that day that day. Not just on September 11**__**th**__**. But every day. Their lives shouldn't end in vain. Their lives should mean something. **_

_**There was a poem that Bella loved to quote all the time. It's by Emily Dickinson. It's called "Not in Vain". **_

_**If I can stop one heart from breaking,I shall not live in vain:If I can ease one life the aching,Or cool one pain,Or help one fainting robinUnto his nest again,I shall not live in vain.**_

**Those that died should not die in vain. Help to make their lives mean something. Make their deaths worth it. Remember them. **


End file.
